Vader's Final Moments
by danieloquence
Summary: What went on inside the Sith Lord's head... [oneshot]


(ALL of the quoted Star Wars lines, characters, places, things, names, etc. belong to **the creators & rightful owners of Star Wars**, NOT ME! So don't sue me; I wouldn't claim this stuff as my own. The writers deserve the honor for their words, I sure as heck don't! This is just a narrative version of a few scenes from Episode VI: Return of the Jedi… all original movie lines are credited to the last part of that episode. eEnjoy.)

_ It had been one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. I was a Sith Lord. Such things are not said in jest; I do not terrify easily. _

_ The look in Luke's the surrendered prisoner's eyes unnerved me. The prisoner – infamous Rebel Luke Skywalker – stared at me intently. I could sense his determination to take me back with him. That was something not easily achieved, and near impossible. Surely he had to know this. Yet, from his serious expression I doubted that his knowledge expanded so far. He was headstrong – just as I always had been. I was handed his lightsaber by the Commander, all the more proof that he did not know the depth of my power. _

"The Emperor has been expecting you," I told him, once my men had left. My mechanical voice gave no hint that I had begun to worry. "I know, Father," Luke replied. I turned to face him. "So, you have accepted the truth," I pointed out. He turned to face me as he spoke. "I've accepted the truth that you were once Anakin Skywalker, my father." I swung his closed lightsaber at him as I responded defensively, "That name no longer has any meaning for me." Luke shook his head. "It is the name of your true self – you've only forgotten! I _know_ there is good in you – the Emperor hasn't driven it from you fully. That was why you couldn't destroy me; that's why you won't bring me to your Emperor now." He rested his cuffed hands on the railing, feigning confidence. I clicked his lightsaber on, and he flinched. I held it, extended, near his head. Then I turned it, looking it over. His head lifted, and I could tell he was becoming nervous. "I see you have constructed a new lightsaber," I mused. "Your skills are complete. Indeed, you are powerful, as the Emperor has foreseen." He turned to face me. "Come with me," he pleaded. His assurance that I would see his side of things shown in his eyes as he stared.

"Obi-Wan once thought as you do." The thought of my old master's belief in me played a chord of pain and bitterness in my heart. "You don't know the power of the Dark Side. I _must_ obey my master." The words seemed almost obscene._ I must obey my master? Hadn't I disobeyed my _Jedi_ master in turning as I had? _I ignored the thoughts. I couldn't go back there. There was _no_ possible way -- **none**. I faced my son with conflicted defiance.

"I will not turn," Luke informed me with an intelligent smirk, "and you'll be forced to kill me." The thought suddenly sickened me. _What? You have killed thousands of those working for the Light. And yet one small weak Jedi makes you tremble? You are pathetic, _I scolded myself. "If that is your destiny," I replied. "Search your feelings, Father. You can't do this. I feel the conflict within you – let go of your hate!" The desperation in Luke's voice rang through the mechanical shaft of my heart. In a moment of sudden unwanted sadness I replied, "it is… too late, for me, son. The Emperor will show you the _true_ nature of the Force. He is your master, now." Luke paused before leaving my presence, guarded by two Sith troopers. He stared at me solemnly.

"**Then my father is truly dead."**

The mechanical doors slid closed behind them. I stared at the seal, my mind racing. What was this newfound conflict? It hadn't shaken me so since I had found heard the devastating news of Padmee's death that had sealed my Dark fate. Suffering flooded what was left of my heart. Not even the brief moment of pain Obi-Wan dying at my hands had brought me had led to such confusion. Such emotions had led me to this awful place. But what could this mean now?

Luke and I soon entered the Emperor's throne room. Palpatine sat with his back to us, staring into space from his spot near the window. Luke's jaw was set, and I could see the same look of determination still hung in his gaze. I almost envied his dedication to the Light, to the Jedi Order, but he would never learn of that. Such things should never be spoken, especially from a Sith. Bitterness spit on my wounds. I was far too horrible a thing – one could hardly call me a person any longer – to return to such a place of honor. Blackness was all I was destined for, that was certain. But my son's mere presence shook the foundation of what I had known as my truth. His truth seemed so much more honorable, and for such a thought alone I could have betrayed myself and thus destroyed his fear of me. But Luke did not fear me anyhow, did he?

Palpatine turned to face us, his ugly wrinkled face curved into a disgusting, self-satisfied smile. "Welcome, young Skywalker," he greeted my son. I sneered beneath my black mask, faintly recalling those words being spoken to me years earlier. A miniscule part of me wanted to kill him right then, and leave my son to escape, but the rest of me knew it wouldn't matter. "I have been expecting you," the Emperor continued. His voice was suddenly grating to my ears. That miniscule part of me began to gently grow, and slowly my heart screamed to be heard.

"You'll no longer need those," Palpatine gestured and removed Luke's wrist restraints with his Dark power. He ordered the guards to leave and Luke stared at him, silently planning his next move. The Emperor said something about the completion of Luke's training, but I was no longer interested in what Palpatine had to say. My desires always had come first, hadn't they? I waited intently for my son's response, secretly hoping that he would be much stronger than I.

"You're gravely mistaken," Luke spat. "You won't convert me as you did my father." The words stung, and yet caused a streak of hope to strike my cold heart. Palpatine leaned forward and explained to him that he was the one who was mistaken, especially about the ability for me to return from the Dark Side. Again, the desire to kill my master flooded my veins, but in my pride and fear I stood still. I reluctantly handed Palpatine my son's lightsaber, another betrayal on my part. They went on to discuss the small band of Rebels who planned to help Luke destroy us.

I weakly added, "It is pointless to resist, my son." My heart sank at my own words as the conflict inside of me grew. Both sides of the story seemed to scream, resonating in my inner ears. In an effort to discourage him, Palpatine showed him the sad view of the Rebels' imminent defeat from the window. He spun half-truths and poured them onto Luke's defenses like acid. Luke's eyes dropped to his lightsaber, and both the Emperor and I sensed his anger. "With each passing moment, you make yourself more my servant," Palpatine confidently stated.

"_NO_," Luke responded.

"It is unavoidable," Palpatine lied. "It is your _destiny._ You, like your father, are now _mine!_"

The attack command was given from the Emperor's chair. The Commander shot at the Rebel fleet with the Death Star's firepower. Palpatine told him that he had no escape, called him his _apprentice_, and continued to lie to him. Luke began to fall for it, anger trickling into his ideals. He brought his weapon to himself, drawing its glowing blade from the electronic sheath. I then drew my own lightsaber, driven more with duty than passion, and our blades collided just in front of the throne. Evil laughter echoed through the halls. I suddenly feared how this may end.

Red and green blades clashed, and Luke kicked me in the stomach, sending me backward over the stairs. "Obi-Wan has taught you well," I told him remorsefully, as I regained composure. "I will not fight you, Father," Luke informed me. Jealousy took over, and I stepped towards him, hoping to instill fear in him. "You are _unwise_ to lower your _defenses_," I informed him, flashing my red lightsaber and continuing the duel. Swing after swing, hit after hit, I realized what was happening. With a twist and a back-flip, Luke was out of my range. I breathed heavily, and he stared down at me. "Your thoughts betray you, Father. I feel the good in you; the _conflict_," he spoke with a confidence that caused my heart to pound with anxiety.

"There _is_ no conflict," I lied. He took a few steps to the side, blade down. "You couldn't bring yourself to kill me before, and I don't believe you'll destroy me now," he claimed. "You underestimate the power of the Dark Side," I spouted, hoping to throw him off. "If you will not fight, then you will _meet your destiny,_" I threw my lightsaber at him, collapsing the bridge that he stood on so smugly. He rolled and tumbled to the ground, all the while with Palpatine watching and chuckling in amusement. I retrieved my weapon and descended the stairs towards my son, but did not see him.

I searched for him beneath the staircase. _Come out, come out, wherever you are, _I thought sadistically. Although I _was_ conflicted, the Dark Side still ran through me with a vengeance. "You cannot hide forever, Luke," I said to the empty space around me.

"I will not fight you," his voice echoed.

"Give yourself to the Dark Side," I coaxed, searching for his hiding place ever still. "It is the only way you can save your friends," I lied to him. Pain knocked on the door of my thoughts, as those same words were spoken to me about Padme so many years ago. I hated the Emperor for his biggest lie, yet served him faithfully for his knowledge. It was not truly the _man_ I served, but rather his _strength_ in the Force and its ways.

"Yes… your thoughts betray you. Your feelings for them are strong. Especially for… _**sister**._" The new thought struck a chord in me. "So, you have a twin sister? Your feelings have now betrayed her, too. Obi-Wan was wise to keep her from me. Now his failure is _complete._ If you will not turn to the Dark Side, then perhaps she will." He then appeared with new fury, swinging his bright green blade with more intensity than before. The way he was fighting brought new fear to my senses – fear for my own life. I was unsure of his capabilities, and began to doubt the Dark Side's power.

We reached a bridge, and my strength faltered. I fell to my knees and clung to the railing for support, ceasing the attempt to battle with my blood-red blade. But Luke continued to swing forcefully and angrily. With his last arc he came down on my right hand, slicing through it and colliding with the metal railing and sending sparks flying. I swore it was the end of me, and began to lose control of my senses. I fell with a scream of pain, and my son stood with weapon still extended, breathing heavily above me. Surely it hadn't come to this.

_ But there I lay: my right hand severed for the second time – this time it was made of intricate machinery, but it was still taken off – by my own son. Because of him, I had just learned of my daughter's existence. Thoughts that could possibly betray me begged to flood my mind. My mother, R2, Threepio, Padme, Obi-Wan -- years of devotion to this cursed lifestyle could never have wiped them from my memory completely. My son's gray-blue eyes shone with the innocence and determination that I had when I was a young boy, freshly saved from slavery on Tattooine. I gasped painfully for air. My heart suddenly ached for the peace-loving, selfless way I had been taught then. I missed the bright blue shine of my Jedi weapon, the way I could use my own limbs, flying in fast-paced and dangerous pod races. They were far less dangerous than the Dark Side and its lure. I missed the innocence of freshly-bloomed love on Naboo, and yet hated it for destroying me. The conflict within my very soul grew with each raspy breath that I took. There the product of that same destructive love stood, confused and heartbroken. He stared at me as the Emperor continued to try and lure him to his side. "Now, fulfill your destiny…" _I faintly heard Palpatine growl. For a brief moment, I feared my life once more. But as the Emperor approached, Luke retracted the lightsaber's glow.

"_Never,_" he announced. He tossed the weapon aside. "I'll never turn to the Dark Side. You have failed, Your Highness I am a Jedi, like my father before me." Luke stood, chest rising and falling with a mixture of pride and fatigue. Palpatine frowned and stopped. "So be it, _Jedi_." His sinister response caused my anxiety to increase.

"If you will not be turned, you will be _destroyed,_" Emperor Palpatine angrily threatened. "Young fool, only now at the end, do you understand." He then took his Dark Force power and shocked my son, toppling him backward in pain. "Your feeble skills are no match for the power of the _Dark Side_," he continued to spit venom. I stood to face him.

"You will pay the price for your lack of vision," the Emperor shocked Luke once more. I watched in horror as my son was electrocuted, as the good in me screamed for my attention. In his pain and agony, Luke stretched his hand toward me. "Father, _please, help,_" he begged, screaming in anguish. The darkness in me caused my mouth to stay closed and simply watch for a few moments longer. Light and Dark took up arms and began to attack one another inside my mind.

"Now, young Skywalker, you _will die,_" Palpatine assured him. Luke writhed in pain as he continued to shock him with more force and anger than before. Luke's screams tore at what was left of my reserves. I turned and faced my Sith master, a new idea taking over my thoughts. I looked from him to Luke and back again, and the idea now stretched from my mind to my body. I grabbed his shoulders and lifted Palpatine off of his position in front of my son, causing the electrical current to flood us both. I threw him over the railing and dropped him into the Death Star's core to his death. I watched as the electrical center consumed not only the Emperor, but also the Darkness that held me for so long. I gasped for air now; the affects of the deadly shock technique taking hold.

Luke pulled me from my position near the railing and rested me in a lying position on the floor. Upon the Star Destroyer colliding with the Death Star, the alarm to get out rang through the halls. Luke then dragged me out into the open space of the Death Star, convinced he was going to bring me out with him alive. His strength gave out quickly and he pulled my shoulders up so that I could face him.

"Luke… help me take… this mask off…" I told him weakly, my voice echoing through the mask's speaker with mechanic tones.

"But you'll die," Luke's eyes widened.

"Nothing… can stop that now," I assured him. "Just for once, let me look on you with my _own eyes_."

My son carefully lifted the helmet from the back, and then removed the mask hiding my face. The look of compassion and love that flooded his eyes upon seeing me for the first real time made me ache with remorse. The product of that forbidden love of years passed was finally worth the agony it had brought me. My own son had been the one to save my life. He placed his hand on my shoulder and I smiled at him weakly. "Now, _go, _my son. Leave me," I instructed him. "No! You're coming with me! I'll not leave you here; I've got to save you!" His headstrong ways showed in his speech. I continued to smile at him.

"You already have.

"Luke. You were right… you were right about me. Tell your sister, you were right." My dying words escaped my lips. I heard him sadly utter, "Father, I won't leave you," before my last breath left my lungs.

My job here was done, and my son had redeemed me. I was allowed to become one with the Force, just as my destiny had been foreseen. Though at first the love between Padme and I had been a curse, the product of that love had been a blessing – and the one I had sought to destroy had brought me back to my senses. Now, truly, balance could be achieved in the Force.


End file.
